1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a method and apparatus for disinfecting chambers or rooms and, in particular, to a new and useful method and apparatus for disinfecting rooms or chambers and articles therein, particularly disinfecting chambers having drying rooms having protective breathing apparatus, medical devices or similar articles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to disinfect articles such as protective breathing apparatus by placing them in a so-called disinfecting chamber. The disinfecting chamber is equipped with an evaporation device for the disinfectant, for example, formaldehyde, and heating devices for warming the air in the chamber. After the objects are placed in the chamber, the disinfectant is evaporated, and the air in the chamber is warmed up. It is also known to first warm the chamber and then to put the evaporator for the disinfectant into operation. It is further known to circulate air in the chamber during the disinfection in order to bring all of the parts located in the chamber into contact with the disinfectant vapors or atomized articles to kill the germs. Subsequently, the chamber is scavenged with fresh air.
Use of formaldehyde as a disinfectant is also known. Formaldehyde is a very good disinfectant, but it has the disadvantage that it has a sharp and very annoying odor. Since the formaldehyde adheres to the objects to be disinfected, the handling of these objects is in many cases difficult.
Ammonia has been used for binding the formaldehyde. The disadvantage of such an operation is that, while binding formaldehyde with ammonia, urotropin is produced which is deposited on the surface of the objects to be disinfected. For many reasons, such a deposit is undesirable. Even though harmless and easily soluble in water, urotropin must be wiped off in many cases. It is also disadvantageous because urotropine constantly releases small quantities of formaldehyde.
Placing articles which are to be disinfected into rooms which are provided with an evaporation device for formaldehyde and an evaporation device for ammonia and which include an air conveying device for circulating in the room are also known, but all of the known devices operate as indicated above.